Srinagar, May 6: With sedentary lifestyle taking its toll on human health and resulting in obesity, a new business line—fitness and slimming centres— is fast gaining currency in the Valley.
 During last few years the Valley has witnessed upsurge in the number such fitness and slimming centres and people are willing to invest in this sector as they find it ‘profitable’ and ‘sustainable’.
 According to the experts and doctors, a large proportion of population in the Valley is overweight or obese, something that has gained a huge clientele to the fitness centres.
 “As people get hardly any time for exercise or a brisk walk in their tight day schedule, they prefer to go to the slimming centres,” experts and market observers said.
 Interestingly, many physiotherapists and dieticians have set up slimming centres.
 Dr Musadiq Mehraj, after finishing his degree in Physiotherapy has started his own Fitness Centre, ‘Velocity (Ortho-care)’ at Alamgari Bazaar, here.
 “In Kashmir people are least bothered about their fitness. While we do very little exercise, the diet we take has very high calorific value. As a result many people here are suffering from obesity which is the mother of all diseases,” Mehraj said, adding that that was the reason he thought to start his own slimming centre.
 He said: “I have treated many patients who were obese and now are living a healthy life.”
 “Usually, if a person follows my diet chart and do regular exercises he/she  will definitely lose 6 to 9 kgs of his body weight in a month,” he said.
 Mehraj’s centre is also providing Orthopaedic Rehabilitation, Pain Management, Neurological Rehabilitation, etc.
 “We also have female trainers for the women,” he said.
 About market response, the owners of these centres sound contented. “More and more people are coming to the centres to regain fitness and lose weight.”
 According to market observers people belonging to different age groups are visiting the slimming centres. “There is no bar for the age. A person of any age can go to these centres,” they said.
 Manzoor Ahmad, a customer, who has recently joined a fitness centre said: “I had gained lot of weight due to lack of exercise and my sluggish work. I decided to join fitness and so far I have lost 5 kgs of weight.”

Lastupdate on : Sun, 6 May 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sun, 6 May 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Mon, 7 May 2012 00:00:00 IST